Easter at Grandma's house

First of all, let's all admit that having Easter at Grandma's house is a wonderful thing.

It's full of wonder and surprises.

Frootloops and popcorn and Shrek before bedtime.

Keeping watch over a de-nested baby bird and its fearless mama.

Hotdogs and name-brand potato chips and hunkering down in the bathroom with sleeping bags over our heads during tornado warnings.

It'll be hard to beat it next year.

***********

We drove to Arkansas under the guise of picking up our fridge and backyard swingset before we close on the house in a few weeks. So, we thought we'd stay a couple days and enjoy Grandma Jean and Grandpa Joe.

Easter morning started off with scripture reading in my favorite room in their house.... as I like to call it: the quiet room. I promise you, when I walk in that room it's like a sense of calm just washes over me. I want to live in it. Or at least hide out in it from time to time.


After the reading was done, we stalled.....so that Grandma could finish hiding her eggs.

As you can see, she made them really work for it....

Mark cleverly wore his time-saving t-shirt.

And then we released the hounds!

Their baskets were also hidden, so this led to the need for Walmart bags.

Grandma was at the ready to give helpful hints to the underdog.


Even Anna had to work for her treats.


Soon we had all settled in for the sorting of the loot and the counting of the eggs.

And proof that sugar does travel through breastmilk:


Happy Easter!

If Rapunzel was a baritone.

You can't beat the low baby vibrato.

Remember her?

Now, if this had been my first baby, you would be saying, "Enough already with the baby photos and the endless detailed updates!" And I wouldn't listen to you because I would know that deep down inside, you are really dying to know how many ounces my sweetums had gained since last Tuesday,

But.

This is my fifth baby and I bet you forgot I had a fifth baby.

Her name is Anna.

She is almost 5 months old and I must say, she is very cute in her miniature denim overalls:

She also likes to lick the measuring spoons and it is how I get a few things done around here. I have 5 sets of measuring spoons, so that works out to approximately 8 1/2 minutes to whip up a little bit of something to eat for dinner.

This morning we reluctantly ventured into the fascinating world of rice cereal.


Personally, I think rice cereal sounds gross. I promised her if she gave it a try, we'd speed through the orange veggies and get right to the oreos.

She seemed pretty happy with this plan.



Now.....just for review:

Fifth baby.

Anna.

Squishy.

Oreos.

Peace out.

Need a laugh?

Overcommitted

I told one of the sisters in my ward that I would play my viola for the Relief Society activity tonight. We even practiced together last week. Then Mark went to New Jersey on business until Friday and I remembered that tonight is Mathew’s 2nd grade musical. He’s Hyena #1. I honestly cannot see myself going to a Relief Society activity while my Hyena #1 is saying his three lines and singing his jungle songs. I cannot see it.

So, like a complete flake, I called this sister and told her I wouldn’t be able to do it. I felt like a jerk and I know for a fact if I were her, I’d be seriously peeved with me.

Oh well. It’s New Jersey’s fault.

I also signed up to bring a cake to this RS activity. I did that mainly because I am in the throws of losing the baby weight and I really want some cake. So to sooth my conscience I am still making my cake and I’ll find someone to take it over for me. But not before I make use of one of the many valuable lessons I have learned from our good friends in the food industry…..

I really really really want some cake and I know sending over a cake with a slice missing is uncool. So I’ll just send over a smaller cake and no one will know the difference (except you, Regina, but fortunately you have a 2nd grader too. HA!) Then I can make our little cake fancy and we can use it to celebrated the successful execution of Mathew’s interpretation of Hyena #1.

Cake for me!

Cake for me!

A previous engagement.

What are your plans for the evening?

Better late than never

So we finally got around to acting out the Nativity. Is it terrible that it's two months late?

It feels a little terrible.

We probably would have forgotten it completely, but Megan would not let it go.

Not on her life.

Mark wasn't home...so....

It got a little crazy. I was sweating.

Mary, Joseph and the donkey were laughing. The Angel was jumping off the arm of the couch.


But I have to admit that it was pretty neat to have a live Baby Jesus.


And to watch a big brother help his little sis to conduct Family Home Evening for the first time.


Next year we'll try to get it in before the New Year.